The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-04-02

kindled by this little matter. The
whole concern was threatened with
annihilation. and the editor, who
was physically rather Il meagre spe-
cimen, trembled in his brown cloth
CATERS, or would have done so if the
General had not promptly and de-
cisiyely taken the whole matter on
his own broad shoulders. The in
suited party breathed forth fiery
threats of vengeance with such vehe-
mence that the Generals friends be-
sought him to be on his guard. He
laughed his cheeriest into their con-
cerned faces, but consented to bur
den himself with a pistol, which he
carried in his capacious hip pocket
He was seen oitener than usual in
the places where his antagonist
would most likely be found, but
without ever encountering him. 1t
was only through report that he
could tell whether or not the fires of
his wrath showed any signs of burn
ing themselves.out. Report told him
that outraged virtue was still on the
rampage" So long as that was
the case, the Generals hip pocket
continued to bulge out. He had
begun to grow bored with the whole
affair, when, sauntering slowly by
public-house ON one of the main
streets, he heard a note of excited
warning hurled into his ears from
man on the opposite side of the
street, simultaneously with the whiz-
zing sound of bullet that passed
through the crown of his soft felt
hat. With the swiftness of an en-
ragged tiger he faced about in time to
see the man who had tried to shoot
him in the back, leap behind ashel-
tering tree-box that gave him a tenn
porary advantage. The Generals
hip pocket no longer bulged. No
one could tell how he managed it,
for it was all done before the nearest
loafer, running at his greatest speed,
could get to the spot. When he did
get there, it was to see the swaggerer
prone on the sidewalk, where he was
pinioned by one of the Generals sub
stantial knees. His loaded pistol
was in his right hand. He had
never touched the trigger. Patient
ly, wordlessly, only showing his APP
probation of the cowardliness of
the attack by his blazing eyes and
short, quick breathing, he held his
would-be-murderer until crowd
had gathered about them; then he
addressed him in voice that trem-
bled Il little from passion in spite of
him: Il could have killed you and
you not know it. You know you
deserve it, too, for the earth would
be rid of Il cowardly scoundrel if !
did. I've kept you here to make you
beg my pardon before all these peo-
pie for everything you've said, and
for what you tried to do just now.
After you've begged my pardon
you've got to acknowledge before all
these people that tina paragraph
you've been playing the bully over
was true to the minutest particular.
After you've done that, you can CO."
Lifting his conquered foe to his feet
by firm grip ON his collar, not
without shaking him slightly, very
much as he might have shaken
puppy rescued from drowning, he
restored his own weapon to his
pocket, pulled his waistcoat care
fully down over his portly person,
and calmly awaited the issue. 1t
was all that the most exacting could
demand in shape of an apology, at
the close ofwhich the General turned
from the gaping crowd with CON
temptuous exclamation and walked
rapidly homeward, anxious to reach
his house in advance of any disa-
greeable rumors. On the way he
met little crying child. 1t was too
young to convey any more informa-
ton than that it was lost. In his
great strong arms he lifted it up. and
holding it close to the breast that
had just been heaving with the hot
test passions that can stir the human
pulse, he socthed its terror and told
1t to point home. Following the
tiny index finger, he presently found
himself once more face to face with
his foe as he reached a certain gate
through which the dust-begrimed
and crestfallen man was hurryino
with down-drooped head, and hear.
ing, so withdrawn from what was
passing around him, that the child
in the Generals arms lsped the
name of father" several times in
the eagerjoy ofrecognition before he
raised his sullcn face to see his bahv
embodied softsy in the arms that had
lust closed with him In u st,.,,...-l-